Get started with Python

This guide walks you through the steps to use the Pdftools SDK in a code example with Python.

tip

Try the Pdftools SDK without a license key.

info

The Python interface wraps the Pdftools SDK C API.

Prerequisites

The Pdftools SDK for Python requires Python 3.6 or higher.

Getting started with a sample project

Learn how to use the Pdftools SDK using a Python code example. The Pdf2ImgSimple example converts a PDF file to an image. Use similar steps to run any other code example from the sdk-examples-python repository.

Clone and run the sample

1. Clone the sdk-examples-python repository:

   git clone https://github.com/pdf-tools/sdk-examples-python.git

2. Install the Pdftools SDK package by running the following command:

   pip install pdftools_sdk

3. Navigate to the Pdf2ImgSimple code example:

   cd sdk-examples-python/Pdf2ImgSimple

4. To render the sample PDF file PdfPrimerWhitePaper.pdf to a multi-page TIFF image format, run:

   python ./pdf2_img_simple.py PdfPrimerWhitePaper.pdf PdfPrimerWhitePaper.tiff

note

Run python3 instead on systems where only Python 3 is installed and python is not aliased.

The code example takes:

• The input and output files are represented as a file name or a file path with the file name.
• Both file paths (input and output) can be relative or absolute.

Review the following snippet with a placeholder and compare it to the last step of the previous procedure:

python ./pdf2_img_simple.py INPUT_PDF IMAGE_OUTPUT_PATH

Integrate the SDK into your application

Integrate and initialize the Pdftools SDK into your application by following the instructions in the following sections.

Add the SDK to your project

1. Install the Python package:

   pip install pdftools_sdk

2. Clone the sdk-examples-python repository and navigate to any sample directory.

3. Review the README.md file with usage details. Every code example includes a README.md with different usage instructions.

4. Import the following packages in the header of your Python code:

   from ctypes import *
   from pdftools_sdk.pdf import Document
   from pdftools_sdk.pdf2_image import Converter
   from pdftools_sdk.pdf2_image.profiles import Archive

Imports depend on the sample you use

The imports depend on the Python sample you use. Imports displayed in the last step of the previous procedure are valid for the Convert PDF to image sample. Every sample includes a single Python file from which you can copy the imports. In case you want to use another functionality, copy the correct imports into your project with the following steps:

1. In the sdk-examples-python repository, navigate to a sample directory. For example: sdk-examples-python/Decrypt.
2. Open the decrypt.py file, and then copy its imports to the header of your Python code.

Optional: Initialize the SDK

Learn how to remove watermarked output of the Pdftools SDK using a valid license key.

tip

Initialization removes watermarks from output files and readies the SDK for production. Without a license key, output files carry a watermark.

Getting a license key

Contact the Pdftools sales team through the Contact page to get a full license. For additional information, review Pdftools SDK license management.

To remove watermarks, follow these steps:

1. Find your license key. For more information, review Find the license key.

2. Call Sdk.initialize once at application startup, before any other Pdftools SDK method call:

   Sdk.initialize("YOUR_LICENSE_KEY")

   Replace YOUR_LICENSE_KEY with your license key. Use the license key in the same format you copied it. Include the less-than (<) and greater-than (>) signs.

To get a working reference with the Sdk.initialize method, follow these steps:

1. On the Code samples page, clone a sample repository. For example, clone sdk-examples-python and navigate to sdk-examples-python/Pdf2ImgSimple.
2. Find the Sdk.initialize method in a Python file included with the sample. For example: Convert PDF to image sample includes Sdk.initialize method in the pdf2_img_simple.py file.
3. Uncomment the call and replace the "insert-license-key-here" placeholder with your license key.

Implement your use case

• Find more use cases and code examples on the Code samples page.
• If you need to configure a proxy, review Configure proxy documentation section.